A Turkish military cargo plane carrying at least 20 people has crashed near the Azerbaijan-Georgia border, according to Turkey's defense ministry.
While the exact number of casualties has yet to be confirmed, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has expressed his condolences, referring to the individuals involved as our martyrs.
Search and rescue operations are currently in progress at the site, with reports indicating that the flight included both crew members and officials.
The C-130 cargo plane was reportedly transporting personnel from Azerbaijan back to Turkey.
Images from the scene depict emergency services responding and visible wreckage from the aircraft.
As per reports from BBC Turkish, the aircraft lost radar contact without sending out distress signals. The Georgian aviation authority confirmed the crash happened near Sighnaghi, approximately 5 kilometers from the Azerbaijan border.
Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev expressed his sadness over the incident in a message to Erdogan, extending his condolences to the Turkish people as well.
U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, Tom Barrack, also shared his grief about the crash, offering sympathies to the families of those affected.
The C-130 is a widely used military transport aircraft manufactured in the United States.
